On Tuesday after assembly, Mr Jones talked to the cohort about the process around asking for references from staff at the school. This blogpost will capture some of the key points he made along with some advice on how to proceed.

Applications for various things (scholarships, jobs, accommodation, limited entry courses etc.) often require written references. This is a letter that contains a summary of your achievements, abilities and character written from the school’s perspective. Often a application might specify who the reference needs to be from (i.e. the Principal) or you will need to approach someone who you think can best reflect you. The following should be taken into consideration:

Select the right person. Think about who knows you best and can reflect your qualities. It may not be the obvious. As your Dean, I am happy and willing to write a reference for anyone in Year 13; however, there might be a different teacher who can capture the specific detail the application is looking for.

Ask early. Please give us plenty of time to write your reference. Asking the night before will not go down well. Not asking, and having an email turn up from the University without you speaking to us first will go down worse.

Share the details that will help us to write the reference. Often a reference is looking for particular qualities, like how you have contributed to the community or how you collaborate with others. If we know what the specifics of the application are, we can reflect them in our reference.